


Things Which Don't Fit In Cardboard Boxes

by softzombieboy



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: First Kiss, Love Confession, M/M, Mutual Pining, bed sharing, but it works out in the end, mike is a bi disaster, teen Byeler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 03:32:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14685543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softzombieboy/pseuds/softzombieboy
Summary: Based upon the Tumblr prompt: 'We slept in the same bed for space reasons but now we’re just waking up and there’s something about your bleary eyes and mussed hair.'It took packing all of Will's things into boxes to unpack their feelings. With a little help from a small bed.





	Things Which Don't Fit In Cardboard Boxes

**Author's Note:**

> This is, of course, dedicated to the incomparable [Transtarboy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/transtarboy/pseuds/transtarboy) whose kind gift of that prompt spurred my first fic in years. A thousand thanks for the inspiration and support.

The boxes stacked like roman columns were a hazard and Mike had, in all his clumsy 6'1 glory, knocked some of them over three times. After the third mishap Will sighed in exasperation and began removing any of them higher than a single box. Unfortunately that meant that much of the meager floor space was consumed by cardboard cubes that left little room to move. It had never seemed as if Will had many belongings yet when he had combined the contents of his room with all the things he would need in his college adventures there were too many boxes for his small bedroom.

Ostensibly his best friend was there to help. Yet mostly Mike had sentimentally examined everything he laid hands on and insisted on discussing its history or meaning. Having been best friends for nearly the length of their lives there were so many memories attached to each item. And for those which Mike did not share in he knew the story behind them. It was sweet, really, and very typical behavior for the other boy so Will only minded when they occasionally collided because Mike was standing around ruminating.

There had been a strange hazy moment that felt like the precipice of a fall both death-defying and exhilarating when the latter was holding forth about Will’s dog-eared copy of the Hobbit. Mike was busy reliving private moments of them pressed hip to hip reading aloud on Will’s bed as children when the other boy approached him and didn’t stop until they were nearly nose-to-nose. In surprise at the sudden proximity Mike pressed himself back into the bookshelf but found he could not retreat any further. Will’s expressive green eyes stared intently as if waiting for something. It wasn’t that they were too close, because that wasn’t uncommon— it was more the expectant configuration of Will’s features tilted up at him. Helplessly a flush rose to the surface of Mike’s cheeks and his brain stuttered. There was something quite familiar about the situation from his observations of other teenagers at dances and dates.

Mike was starting to hyperventilate a little the longer that they stood there with only a few inches between them. He felt his heart take a physical lunge at his ribs when Will lifted one arm to bracket his body. It was intimate and close, trapping him from one side. Panicked thoughts bumped together like frightened chicks in his skull. Was he reading this right? Did he _want_ to be reading this right? They never talked about this… thing… even though it had been hanging pendulous between them for years. Oh god, how was he supposed to react if something happened? This wasn’t _that_ , was it? He’d worked so hard to stamp out his desires and replace them with ignorance.

A soft little sigh puffed out of Will and Mike caught it in his lungs. He didn’t consciously mean to but he parted his lips and curled down a little closer to the shorter boy’s height.

“Mike…” Will said in a soft, fond tone that gentled his friend’s racing pulse.

“Yeah?” Mike responded, cursing the way his voice cracked with tension.

This was it. Something immense was about to happen.

“You’re blocking my books.“

Oh. Mike wanted to brain himself with the heaviest of them because of course there was an innocent explanation for their ‘moment’. _Brilliant, Wheeler, really fine observational skills for a future novelist._ Now bright red with shame Mike quickly slipped out from beneath Will and shuffled away on legs gone jelly. Today was apparently the Idiot Olympics and he was the only competitor.

Luckily the embarrassment was quickly diffused by Will’s apparent obliviousness. He continued to pack and Mike elected to sit and watch from the bed instead of placing himself in the way. One awkward encounter was quite enough for one day. It did not seem as if Will minded the lack of help— he cast Mike soft smiles and bubbling laughs as they talked about both future and past for the next few hours. Eventually everything had been boxed and Joyce was calling them for dinner.

After dinner they relaxed with a film that they had seen a dozen times but still enjoyed watching (‘The Princess Bride’, which they only watched together or with El because the rest of the Party found it corny). By the time it was over they each took a shower and then elected to turn in early. Tomorrow it was Mike’s turn to pack and they both knew it would take twice as long even with assistance.

They quickly discovered a problem with sleeping arrangements. The boxes were taking up too much space to allow Mike’s gangling form to lie on the floor without sharp corners pressing into his spine. He nearly choked on his own saliva when Will casually declared that they would just have to share the bed. A bed which was cramped for two fully grown eighteen-year-olds. A bed that would press Mike against his best friend shortly after he had a crisis regarding that very thing. A bed which meant that Will would almost inevitably notice how uncharacteristically uncomfortable Mike was about being so close. Fuck.

* * *

 

Mike was dreaming about water. He was soaking in liquid warmth that enveloped his entire being, both inside and out. Sounds were muted in the endless blue expanse and despite floating underwater he felt no panic or need for breath. Only a sense of penetrating peace. He feared nothing. He wanted for nothing. It was all warm and safe and slow. Time was meaningless in the crystalline blue but eventually he felt himself starting to bob upward. In the way of dreams he accepted this turn of events without struggle or thought. When he broke the surface of the sea he expected to see the sky but instead was met with the blurry plane of a ceiling.

It took a moment for Mike to realize he had woken from a dream. He was not swimming in the ocean— he was in Will’s bedroom lying on his back. The warmth had been real, however. Heat had soaked into his muscles from the body spread atop him. Instead of lying back to back as they had fallen asleep Mike was being pressed into the mattress by Will, whose cheek was cupped in the juncture of his neck and shoulder. In the summer heat dewy sleep sweat had collected all over their bodies yet Mike found himself totally comfortable despite the moisture and weight. His right arm was curled almost possessively over Will’s back and he could not bring himself to move it. Perhaps he would be nervous again when they were both fully awake but at the moment he was still buoyed by a dreamy tranquility.

For some time he lay there silently, eyes now closed to shut out the inevitable return of reality. Some small rational voice coming out a burrow in his brain knew this intimate cuddling was decidedly not appropriate behavior for boys their age. Being snug on the couch while watching movies was normal for close friends but this embrace was the sort of thing lovers do. Despite that little worried cry trying to warn him Mike had no time or energy to listen. Sharing this with Will was natural, instinctual… maybe even enjoyed. He didn’t think. Instead he just let it be.

Eventually something had to change. There was movement against Mike’s chest. A throaty groan tickled his neck and punctured the silence. Will fisted the material of Mike’s t-shirt and, obviously still mostly asleep, nuzzled into his best friend’s shoulder as if trying to hide from the daylight. It should have been strange but it just made Mike’s lips twitch into a smile. Neither of them hastened to separate. Instead Mike’s clumsy fingers lightly petted the small of the other boy’s back (without permission from his mind). Will lingered where he had pressed himself even though it was difficult to breathe through someone’s flesh.

Neither of them really wanted to wake up, it seemed. Will finally stirred again and freed his airway. He lifted his head slowly as if its weight was great. On his back Mike’s fingers stilled but did not withdraw. Their eyes met, drowsy and soft and vulnerable. There was a faint curve imprinted on Will’s cheek from where it had been pressed into the neck of a shirt for hours. His tawny fringe stuck up in places from having burrowed into Mike’s shoulder and his eyes looked like camera lenses cycling in and out of focus. It was a messy look that fiction considered too ugly to be allowed but Mike’s stomach swooped like a diving bird as they gazed at one another.

With glacial slowness that gave him ample opportunities to stop himself Mike lifted one hand to trace the pink line curving the other’s cheek. It was like a wide lop-sided smile and he could feel the soft ridge of it beneath his fingers. At the touch Will’s gaze became more cognizant but he didn’t tense or ask what Mike was doing. His face held only trust and patience. In all their years of friendship Mike had never once touched Will in a way he did not want.

After completing the journey from one end of the crease to the other Mike’s fingers spread over the blunt angle of Will’s jaw and stayed there. He wasn’t sure what the intent was or where this was going but he felt powerless to stop whatever ride he had unwittingly gotten on. Will looked so soft and endearing in the golden morning light. Beautiful in a warmly inadvertent way that was somehow much more attractive than the chilly sheen of movie stars. Of course Mike had noticed his best friend’s beauty before, many times, but he had never been so present in observing it. It wasn’t something painted on the surface for easy consumption. Will was perfect because he was _Will_ and (the realization came with a sudden powerful surge that made the other boy inhale sharply) Mike loved him desperately.

“Shit.”

Mike hadn’t meant to utter that breathless profanity but it was wrung out of him anyway. Unsurprisingly Will’s mouth tightened in a frown. Neither of them had been expecting that incongruous addition to the atmosphere.

“What?” Will questioned quietly.

He could tell something had shifted but his face was still cradled in Mike’s palm and his friend didn’t look upset, exactly. Perhaps a little overwhelmed but not frightened or angry. Mike looked… awed? As if he had just come upon some glorious epiphany. Will was lost as to what could have prompted it. The moment stretched on without an answer. It found Will considering drawing away because he was unnerved by the mystery of Mike’s exclamation. However, he didn’t get the chance.

The hand that had been at Will’s back lifted to join its partner on the opposite side of his face. Mike’s touch was gentle but made Will feel anchored there. The awed look was slowly tempered by a seriousness that was equally puzzling. Now Mike looked as focused as he did when he was about to give a speech. With the lightest of pressures he guided Will closer as if he was about to impart some secret truth. Will went easily despite his confusion. When they were close enough to share breath Mike finally spoke.

“I love you.”

A sweet smile curled across Will’s mouth at the admission.

“I know you do. I love you too.” He replied without hesitation.

“No, Will. Not like that. Well, yeah, like that but…” Mike drew in a deep fortifying breath and took the metaphorical plunge. “Also like this.”

And then, shedding any hesitance, he ducked down and pressed their mouths together.

It was not a passionate kiss by romantic standards. Yet it was unarguably loving, a warm sealing of lips that left no doubt as to how much the touch was wanted. Heat kindled in Will’s cheeks but he was not embarrassed. Not at all. It felt like the culmination of a thousand tender touches. All the years of secret pining and skipped heartbeats were condensed into one small point of contact. For such a long time fiercely denying their feelings it wasn’t a surprise. Now that this was happening it felt wholly inevitable. Mike’s chest seemed too small for the love in his heart. It was trying to burst out of his ribs and wrap Will up like a cocoon.

They lost track of how long they stayed connected. It could have been only a minute but seemed eternal when the world had faded out. Parting was slow and reluctant after having waited so long to come together. Will didn’t go far. He rested his forehead against Mike’s and shut his eyes so that he could narrow sensory input to the tingling heat in his lips. A ghostly afterimage seemed to stain his skin. Mike felt a little dizzy with euphoria; he was glad of the grounding pressure of Will at his front and the bed at his back. It was only when his neck began to ache that he let his head fall back into the pillow. His thumbs roved in tender circles on Will’s cheeks to make up for the loss of contact.

The quiet was sedate and comfortable following such a monumental experience. It did not need to be filled with any further confessions or explanations. All that needed to be said had already passed. As Will had reminded Mike, he already knew they loved one another. Perhaps they had always known how much and had simply been too frightened to acknowledge an inescapable truth. Now they had given mutual permission to share and act upon those feelings. They were coalescing into the melded whole they had always been meant to become. It needed no definition or lengthy declaration. Discussions of where their relationship would go from here could wait. Silent basking in this newfound intimacy was what was needed. Well, perhaps there was one thing that Will needed to say.

“I’m going to miss this bed.”

**Author's Note:**

> Additional (but more brief) writing can be found [here](https://softzombieboy.tumblr.com/tagged/peter-writes).


End file.
